1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fluid valves. More particularly, the present invention relates to medical stopcock valves. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to pushbutton medical stopcock valves.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98.
A stopcock is a valve used to restrict or isolate the flow of a liquid or a low pressure gas through a pipe or other fluid passageway. Stopcocks function very similar to kitchen water faucets. Stopcocks have many applications in the medical field as well as in scientific laboratories. Small plastic stopcock valve assemblies have long been routinely used in a variety of medical procedures and operations, such as metering the infusion of fluids into patients under medical care. Typically, such stopcock valve assemblies include at least a three-way type valve wherein the valve body has three or more radially-arranged ports, and an interior directional control member is rotatably arranged within the valve body for selectively closing one or more ports while opening communication between at least two other ports.
Various patents have issued in the past relating to rotor stopcock valves that are manually operated. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,197,876, issued on Apr. 15, 1980 to Lobdell, teaches such a fluid valve. The fluid valve has a core received in the bore of a valve body. The bore is positioned in a separate inner body spaced radially inward from and connected by support means to the main valve body so as to hasten cooling of the bore during manufacturing and thereby improve sealing of the core by reducing dimensional variations in the bore.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,314,586, issued on Feb. 9, 1982 to Folkman, describes a disposable valve. The two-piece valve incorporates a straight cylindrical seal between the valve core and body permitting limited axial movement. The valve is molded in such a manner so as to create a strong interlock between the valve ports and to eliminate heavy sections of plastic adjacent to the sealing area of the valve.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,566,480, issued on Jan. 28, 1986 to Parham, teaches a medical stopcock valve assembly. The medical stopcock valve assembly has a valve body with extending fluid-directing tubes at least some of which have a female Luer lock fitting adapted to receive a Luer lock cap. When not in use, the medical stopcock valve is provided with a blind portion for receiving and storing a cap when it is out of use. In one form, the blind portion is formed as a female Luer lock fitting. Alternatively, recessed blind portions may be provided for receiving and engaging the outer rim of the cap to enclose the entire cap interior and to seal so as to maintain a sterile interior. In one embodiment, a blind fitting is formed on the valve body. In another embodiment, a modified Luer cap having a blind extension thereon is mounted on a Luer fitting of a valve such that the blind extension of the cap can receive and store an out-of-use cap. In another embodiment, a cap storage member having plural blind extensions may be slidably attached to and detached from a valve.
Various patents have also issued in the past relating to various fluid control valves that have cam-controlled movement. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,865,078, issued on Sep. 12, 1989 to Ensign, describes a manual control valve. The manual control valve employs a compact body, a pressure input port and first and second output ports to which are secured tubular seat housings, each carrying a valve seat. First and second poppets are slidably mounted in the tubular seat housings and are spring urged to closed position. One or the other of the poppets is pulled open by means of a handle operated rotary cam, which allows both poppets to be closed by spring and water pressure. A modified valve configuration provides a three-way valve.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,632,361, issued on Dec. 30, 1986 to Callison, teaches a scheduled fluid control valve. The scheduled fluid control valve performs a pre-established sequence of flow rates and timing schedules in response to pressure pulses in the controlled fluid. The valve consists of a generally cylindrical housing connected to a source of pressurized fluid and containing circular plates of cylindrical control surfaces coupled to actuating means responsive to the presence of pressurized fluid. The actuating means includes an actuator plate or cylinder, a biasing spring, and a longitudinal shaft or cylinder upon which is incised at least one generally helical groove within which track one or more follower pins. Pressurized fluid causes the actuator plate or cylinder to rotate, following the path defined by the helical groove, resulting in relative movement of the control surfaces whereby the schedule embodied in the relative size and placement of fluid ports through the control surfaces is performed. A plurality of control surfaces may be substituted to select a large number of fluid flow schedules and flow rates.
Various patents have issued relating to valves that move up and down so as to provide access to the various ports. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,570,674, issued on Feb. 18, 1986 to Kaye, describes a mechanically-programmable sequencing valve. The sequencing valve assembly is used for controlling plural fluid-operated motors. It includes a series of valve housing modules, sealably joined to one another thereby forming an elongate valve housing, which receives plural valve inserts. The valve housing modules collectively form manifolds, which may be connected to a pressurized source of fluid and an exhaust line. The assembly is mechanically programmable and provides a visible, non-volatile program to control multiple motors. Individual valves are actuated by cam-operated rocker arms. A camshaft includes removable adjustable cams, and this assembly may be quickly changed by replacing or rearranging the shaft, its associated cams, or nodules on the cams.
Various patents have also issued relating conventional stopcocks with rotatable knobs for the purpose of aligning the various fluid passageways. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,003,403, issued on Jan. 18, 1977 to Nehring, describes such a stopcock. The stopcock has a body suitable for molding, having an axial bore, axially and angularly spaced apart inlet and outlet passageways through the body and intersecting the bore, and a stem rotatably mounted within the bore, the stem having an elongated slot extending radially partially therethrough and a port angularly spaced from the intersection of the slot and the stem surface and intersecting the slot at the interior of the stem. The stem is rotatable from a position effecting fluid flow communication between the passageways to a position obstructing at least one of the passageways. Vent means are provided to permit removal of all liquid from the passageways.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,834,372, issued on Sep. 10, 1974 to Turney, describes a disposable manifold with an atmospheric vent. The manifold is formed with a plurality of ports for connection to various components such as arterial-venous pressure generators, a syringe, and a source of fluid and pressure sensitive transducers. The manifold includes one or more rotary members, which are selectively positioned for interconnecting selected ones of the components. Various sampling, flushing and pressure measuring operations may be performed by use of the manifold. The manifold further includes a venting port arrangement for venting the pressure sensitive transducers to the atmosphere when a pressure measurement is not being taken. This protects the transducer from overpressurization and consequential damage.
Traditionally, plural infusion tubes are used to supply fluids such as drug solutions into a patient's body. In cases like this, medical stopcocks are used to allow the solutions to communicate between each infusion tube or shut-off the communication. Among the prior art stopcocks, there exist medical stopcocks capable of allowing an operator to open or shut-off the communication between each branch-tube and the chamber part by moving the operating part in the axial direction of the chamber part, wherein the chamber part has a cylindrical shape. The medical stopcock disclosed in this prior art is formed in such a manner that 2 branch-tubes are provided interposing the peripheral surface of an approximately cylindrically shaped chamber part, and the valve body in the axial direction in the chamber part can be rotated to open and close the communication between the 2 branch-tubes.
However, this medical stopcock is provided with only 2 branch-tubes, and only capable of simply allowing one to open or shut-off the communication between the 2 branch-tubes. Hence, this medical stopcock cannot be connected to plural lines of infusion tubes and analogs used for medical purposes to switch the communication and shut-off statuses of each infusion tube. Moreover, in order to allow the 2 branch-tubes to communicate with one another or shut-off the communication with one another, the rotational manipulation of the valve body must be performed, posing a difficulty to operate. Consequently, the medical stopcock comprising 3 branch-tubes, capable of switching the flow passage by performing the rotational manipulation of the cock in the axial direction of the valve body has also been developed. However, even in such a medical stopcock, during the manipulation, the main body of the medical stopcock needs to be held by one hand, and the cock needs to be manipulated by the other hand, and therefore it is difficult to operate.
Various patents and patent publications have attempted to address the problem of multiple branch tubes, and ease of use. For example, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2008/0319401 published on Dec. 25, 2008 to Funamura, describes such a stopcock valve. The stopcock allows easier switching operation of plural branch-tubes. The main body of the stopcock comprises a chamber part with a nearly spherical inner surface, and an upstream branch-tube, a downstream branch-tube and a merge-branch-tube all extending from the chamber part. A valve body of the stopcock comprises a nearly spherical valve main body and a rod-shaped operating part with a guide hole linking the inner surface of the chamber part to the outside. In operation, the rod-shaped operating part is moved along the guide hole through the use of the horizontal flow passages and the vertical flow passage to allow the predetermined branch-tubes out of the upstream branch-tube, the downstream branch-tube and the merge-branch-tube to communicate with one another or to shut-off the communication.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a pushbutton stopcock assembly which is easy to manufacture and inexpensive.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a disposable pushbutton stopcock assembly.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a pushbutton stopcock assembly, which is easy to operate and requires the use of only one hand.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a stopcock assembly, having a pushbutton mechanism.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a pushbutton stopcock assembly with variable selectable flow paths.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a pushbutton stopcock assembly with three separate flow paths.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a pushbutton stopcock assembly with easily identified flow path selections.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the attached specification and appended claims.